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Episode 12
Scene 1
Tom and the rest of The Blazing Muffin crew have regrouped in a rocky valley and are going over their options for escape.
Tom: Are they still watching us?
Blackjack: Hard to say, but I don’t think so.
Pixel: So let’s talk about what we know. Tom, the young version of your father we just encountered told us it is 1990.
Tom: Right, which would make my dad around 12 at this time.
Pokher: All the people we encountered in town by the saloon thought you were some historical figure named Billy The Kid. You said he lived in the 19th century.
Tom: Right. (notices flask in pocket) Ah, what luck! Perfect time for a drink.
Blue: Not perfect.
Tom (after taking a swig): We’re trapped behind what appears to us to be a giant screen. So as far as I can tell, we’re in a movie from around 1990 that depicts a story about Billy The Kid from the 1800s.
Blackjack: And all this happened because we flew my ship into an anomalous donut hole in space.
Tom: Right.
Pixel: So how did we get here, and how do we get out?
Blackjack: And where is my ship?
Pixel: I have a connection with the ship’s computer, and I do not sense it here, wherever and whenever “here” is.
Blue: What’s the last thing you remember from the donut hole, Tom?
Tom: I was watching the interior of the donut as we passed through.
Pixel: Same here.
Blackjack: Does that go for all of us?
All confirm.
Tom: But then thinking about donuts made my mind wander. (thoughtful pause) It made me think about my dad, and then thinking about my dad made me think about stories he told me about when he was a kid. He used to watch poor quality action movies and eat donuts on Saturday afternoons growing up. He especially liked westerns. And that’s the last thing I remember before we woke up here.
Pixel: Fascinating.
Pokher: So the donut hole somehow used your mental energy to send us to a different time and place?
Blackjack: Let’s not worry about donut hole mechanics just yet. Let’s figure out how to get back to the ship first.
Blue: It’s also interesting to note that we didn’t notice we were on TV until we took the Peyote.
Pixel: Not super relevant right now, but interesting side note to ponder. Thanks, Blue.
Pokher: I have an idea. This might sound absurd, but maybe Tom can just think about getting us back to the ship, and it’ll help the donut hole do its thing.
Tom: Are we really on Earth right now?
Pixel: All readings from my sensors indicate that to be the case.
Tom (sighs): Anyway, sure, I’ll give it a shot. I’ll try to think our way out of this.
Tom closes his eyes and thinks real hard about being back on The Blazing Muffin in the year 2030.
Tom: Is it working?
Everyone says no with annoyed tones.
Tom continues thinking with his eyes closed.
Tom: How about now?
Chorus of no.
Tom: Maybe if I take more Peyote it’ll help?
Blackjack: We don’t have time for that.
Pixel: Maybe we should all think of getting back to the ship at the same time and see what happens.
Pokher: Yeah, I guess it’s worth a shot.
Everyone thinks about getting back to The Blazing Muffin in 2030, focusing a great deal of mental energy. After a few moments, everything goes dark. Then suddenly, there is a brilliant flash. When they wake up, they take stock of their surroundings, and are immensely relieved to be back on The Blazing Muffin. Blackjack hurries to the view screen and finds that his ship is on the other side of the donut hole.
Blackjack: Computer, how long were we gone for?
Computer: Gone?
Blackjack: Yes.
Computer: Is this a joke?
Blackjack: No joke, now please answer me.
Computer: But you weren’t gone, Blackjack. You were all right here.
Pixel: How long did it take to get through the donut hole?
Computer: 8 minutes.
Pixel: And what were we doing?
Computer: You were all on the floor, resting peacefully.
Pokher: The whole time?
Computer: Affirmative. Why? What did it feel like to you?
Tom: It was over two days.
Blackjack: But it felt so real.
Computer: We’re getting a call.
Blackjack: On screen.
A tiny, glowing dot shows up on the screen.
Blackjack: Magnify fifty times.
The image becomes clear. There is one tiny being floating in space.
Tom: It glows like a firefly, but is shaped like a figure-eight.
Blackjack: Hey, I’m Blackjack. Do you have a name, and what are you calling about?
Firefly: Tom thinks I glow like a firefly, so you may call me firefly. Did you enjoy yourselves in the donut?
Pokher: I’m not sure ‘enjoy’ is the term I’d use.
Firefly: I’m sorry to hear that.
Blue: Why do you ask?
Firefly: I built it.
Everyone stares blankly at the firefly.
Tom: You built that giant thing?
Firefly: Yes. You seem surprised.
Tom: You’re so small, no offense.
Firefly: None taken. Big things come in small packages sometimes.
Tom: Did all that really happen?
Firefly: Do you mean going back to 1990 and appearing in a bad western movie from the late 80s?
Tom: Yes! How did you know?
Firefly: I was watching the whole time.
Blackjack: How comforting.
Pokher: But if we were actually there, didn’t our actions effect the past and cause a different future timeline to occur?
Firefly: Oh, no. That would be dangerous, not to mention silly. Why do so many sentient beings think that the future can be altered so easily? It takes very significant actions to have any widespread effects on the future. The only thing you did on your little trek was to make Tom’s grandfather return that TV set to the store, and gave his father a good story to tell the other boys at school.
Tom: So if I were to ask my family about that, they’d remember?
Firefly: Yes, of course.
Blue: Isn’t that risky? What if someone uses your giant, magic donut for nefarious ends? Couldn’t someone go back and cause chaos?
Firefly: No. Like I said, I watch. If anyone tries anything that would obviously cause harm to our current timeline, then I throw them out of the donut hole.
Tom: How long have you been doing this?
Firefly: Oh, not long. And soon my experiment will end and the donut will be dismantled.
Blue: Such a vague, cryptic answer.
Tom: Yes, quite frustrating.
Blackjack: So if we were to go through there again, we could go to any time and place?
Firefly: Nearly any time and place, yes.
Pokher: So we could go to other galaxies almost instantly?
Firefly: Yes.
Blackjack: Could the ship come with us?
Firefly: It could, but I won’t allow it. It’s my insurance policy that you won’t misuse the technology.
Blackjack: Could you build a smaller one?
Firefly: Indeed.
Pokher: And would you be willing to trade us one?
Firefly: Not at the moment, but it might be necessary in the future.
Tom: Why would it be necessary?
Firefly: In order to influence the battle to a greater degree, of course.
Blackjack: What battle?
Firefly: The never-ending battle between light and dark, of course. If beings aligned with creation need help minimizing dark forces of destruction, then I may have to intervene to a greater extent.
Pixel: How does it work?
Firefly: It is somewhat like a wormhole, only artificially made and much more advanced. Mental energy is necessary for it to function. You are a member of The Verse species, are you not?
Pixel: I am.
Firefly: Glad to see you’re doing so well. Your creator would be proud.
Everyone gives curious glances, uncertain what was meant by that.
Pixel: You know who created my species?
Firefly: Of course. You were created in their image.
Firefly flickers and disappears.
Tom: So cryptic again!
Blue: Annoying.
Blackjack: Now what do you think it meant by that?
Pokher: I’m not sure, but I say we get out of here. We need to get to a star base and get some supplies anyway.
The Blazing Muffin zips away. Thousands of fireflies appear and swarm together near the donut after they leave.
Fireflies (thinking to itself): That experiment went well. And that’s my first contact with a human in millions of years. Maybe they’ll do better this time.
Thanks for your time and attention!
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